Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1887-09-14

Teach made that change. Not only cid
he make it himself, but he rersuaded his
old captain to join with HIM.
And row fairly began that series of
bold and lawless depredGtons which have
made his name SO Justly famous, and
which placed him smong the very great-
est OF NARROWING freeoooters.
"Our hero,h says the old historian who
sings OF the arms and bravery Of this
CREST man-"Our hero assumed the
cognomen Of Backb ard from that large
qusntity Of hair wbich, ike frightful
meteor, covered his whole face, and
| frightened America more man shy comet
that appeared there in long time. He
was accustomed to twist II with ribbons
! into small tails, after the manner Of GU
| Families wig, and turn them about his
ears. In time Of action he wore O sling
over his shoulders, with three brace Of
pistols hanging i'll holsters like bantc-
| leers; he stuck lighted matches under
his hat, which, appearing on each side Of
his face, and his eyes naturally looking
fierce ard wild, made him look altogether
such figure that imagination can not
form an ides Of a fury from hell to lock
more f1ightful."
The night before the day Of the action
| in which he was killed he sat no drinking
with some congenial company until broad
daylight. One Of them asked him If his
poor young wife knew where his treasure
was hidden. "No," says Blackboard,
/ "nObOdy but the devil aud | knows where
it is, and the longest liver shall have al. -
For a time Blackboard worked at his
trade Gown on the Spanish Main, gather
! ing in the few years he was there 8 very
nest little fortune in the booty captured
from sundry vessels; but by and by he
took it into his head to try his luck along
the coast of the Carolinas; so off he
sailed to the northward with quite re-
spectacle little feet, consisting OF his
own vessel and two captured sl0Ops.
From that time he was actively engaged
in the making OF American history in MS
small way.
He first appeared off the bar ct
Charleston harbOr, to the no small eX-
Citement OF the worthy town OF that ilk,
aud there he lay for five or six days,
blockading the port and stopping neon
ing and outgoing vessels at his pleasure,
SO that, for The time, the commerce OF the
province was entirely paralyzed. All the
vessels SO stopped he held IS prizes, and
al the crews and passengers (smong the
latter Of Wnom was more than one pro
YinCial worthy Of the day he retained as
though they were prisoners Of war.
And it was nightly awkward thing
for the good folks OF Charleston to behold
day after dag black flag with its white
skull and CrOss-bOnes futtering at the
fore Of the pirate captains craft, over
across, the leve! stretch OF green salt
marsh, and it was nightly unpleasant
too, 10 know that this or that prom
inent citizen was crowded down Witt
the other prisoners under the matches
Becoming tired OF an inactive life
Blackboard afterward resumed his pratt
cal career. He crui6ed around in the
rivers and inlets and sounds of NOTtE
Carolina for g while, ruling the rOOst
and with never g one to say him nay
until there was no bearing with such s
pest any longer. So they sent a deputa
ton up to the Governor of Virginia ask
ing il ne would be pleased to help then
in their trouble.
There were two men of war lying a.
Kicquetan, in James river, ct the time
70 them the Governor OF Virginia applied
and plucky Lieutenant Maynard, of The
Pearl was sent to OCrsCOke Inlet 70 6gh
this pirate who ruled it down there so like
the cock Of O walk, There he founC
Blackboard waiting for MIN, and es ready
for fight as ever the lieutenant himsel
ECOuld be. Fight they did, and while il
IIasted it was as pretty piece of bushes!
OF its kind as one could wish to see
Blackboard drained glass Of grOg
wishing the lieutenant luck IN get
ting sboaTd Of him, fired brCadside
blew some twenty OF the L!eutenant's mel
out of existence, and totally crippled ont
Of his little sloOps for the balance of tn,
fight After that, and under cover Of tht
smoke, the pirate snd his men boarded
the other sloop, and then followed a flnt
old fashioned hand to-hand conflict be
tWixt them and the lieutenant. First they
fired their pistols, and then they took tt
it with cutlasses-rIght, left, up anC
down, cut and slash-until the lieuten-
ants cutlass broke short off ct the hilt
Then Blackboard would have finished hin
of handsomely. only up steps one of TIT
lieutenant's men and tetches him grea
slash over the neck, so that the lieutensn
came off with no more than cut across
the knuckles.
At the very discharge OF their pistols
Blackboard had been shot through tn
body, but he was not for giving u
for thst-not he. AS was (sai(
before, ne was of the pure roaring, rsgiHi
breed of pirates and stood up to 1t hhti
ne received twenty more cutlass cuts suC
five additional shots, and then he Tel
dead while trying to fire eff an empt
Ipistol. After that the lieutenant cut OF
the pirates head and sailed away in tri
f um2h, with the bloody trophy nailed t.
the bow of his battered sloop.